For thousands of years, theaters have existed for the presentation of live action. A classic example is the Roman Coliseum, construction of which began in 70 AD. Theaters for the presentation of projected movie films (i.e., prerecorded material) are a more modern construction. Purpose built movie theaters (or alternatively buildings, such as stores, modified into movie theaters) probably began their existence in the late 1800 to early 1900's. Today, many types (e.g., digital, 3D, IMAX™, etc.) of movie theaters exist. Both flat and curved screens are used as projection surfaces for the projected movies. Projection onto the screen can come from either the front or back of the screen. Other innovations in projection system technologies have further changed the way that audiences view films. The most unique projection systems often find their way into specialty venues, such as museums and theme parks.
While projection systems have changed, theater seating has largely remained unchanged. Rows of seats, sometimes straight, sometimes curved, face a screen. The rows of seats may be on a flat floor. With flat floor seating, unless the bottom of the projection screen is sufficiently elevated from the floor, an unlucky viewer can have his or her line of sight to the screen obscured by the heads or hats of other patrons seated between the screen and the unlucky viewer. This problem is exacerbated the further the viewer is from the screen. Alternative, the rows of seats may be placed on a sloped or stepped floor. This helps to obviate the above-mentioned problem of obscured views. Nevertheless, most theater seats, whether on a flat, sloped, or stepped floor, are fixed to the floor.
However, fixing seats to the floor limits a viewer's experience to only viewing the motion on the screen. Therefore, even if a viewer is facing an immense screen, the viewer can only imagine the physical sensation of dropping, climbing, or tipping when the corresponding action appears on the screen.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,954 (the '954 patent) seeks to add some sensation of physical motion to a patron's theater experience. However, the structure described in the '954 patent can cause a patron to have an adverse reaction. The complex mechanical design of the seat hangers results in the real, not imagined, reduction in the spacing between each pair of rows of seats. The forward movement of the seats as they are being lifted may remind, intentionally, a patron that he is being immersed into a fantasy of taking off and flying in a hang glider, however, the mechanical construction may adversely give the patron a feeling that he is about to crash into the hang glider (row of seats) in front of him. Additionally, although the '954 patent provides for the pitch (nose-up/nose-down) motion of each row of seats, many patrons become afraid that they will pitch forward too much and slip from their seats. Additionally, passengers are loaded onto the rows of seats of the '954 patent from a loading position on a flat floor. The complex mechanical structure of the '954 patent apparatus makes it impossible to provide a “pre-take-off” movie experience to patrons as all but the first row of patrons will have an unobstructed view facing forward. Even their view is obstructed above by the overhanging “glider wing.”
U.S. Pat. No. 8,225,555 (the '555 patent) also seeks to add some sensation of physical motion to a patron's theater experience. Like the '954 patent, the rows of seats of the '555 patent are positioned one behind the other on a flat floor. The '555 patent purports to teach the desirability of having a pre-show to entertain patrons as they wait for the main show. Indeed, the '555 patent's concept is to fool the audience into believing that the preshow is the main event. Regardless of its purpose, the '555 patent concept has the same limitations faced by prior art theaters with rows of seats all positioned on the same level on a single flat floor. Namely, viewers that are unlucky enough to sit behind a taller person will have their view of the screen obscured by the taller person's head or hat. Of course, the '555 patent's ultimate “ride” for the patrons is to lift them vertically up from the floor of the preview theater into the central space of the main theater. The patrons then hang from cables in their rows of seats to watch the main presentation.